Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/238697
FOCUS ATI Upgrades for Benelli M4 many gunfghts, and the weight of a rife or shotgun can affect the offcer's accuracy as he is moving from cover-to-cover toward an "active shooter." Low Recoil, Gas-Operated Auto Whether running a shotgun assault course in the high desert, or responding to an active shooter, a lighter weight long gun improves the police response. The revolutionary, Italian-designed Benelli is considered by many experts as the best shotgun to ever be introduced to law enforcement. Those of us in attendance were among the frst police offcers ever to shoot this highly designed piece of devastating firepower completely decked out with modern ATI accouterments. Lightweight Firepower The Benelli® M4 Semi-Automatic shotgun lived up to its reputation. The Benelli M4 is indeed a handsome weapon to behold. The ATI accessories are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Since most of the ATI accessories were made of aluminum, DuPont® extreme military-grade polymer, and other synthetic materials, this splendid shotgun weighed less than it looked. I've never really paid attention to the weight of a weapon until I had to run up 16 LAW and ORDER I January 2014 and down several dried-out ravines while shooting at multiple steel targets. Carrying lighter weapons made a noticeable difference in my fatigue level as I jogged and hiked while combat shooting in the high altitude of the hot, arid desert in the mountains of Yavapai County, Ariz. As my heart rate was climbing and blood pounded through my carotid arteries, I felt a familiar stitch of pain in my right side and my arms became heavy. My neck and shoulders ached every time I had to bring up a rife or shotgun to acquire my target. It was during these moments that I thought about the importance of carrying a light rife or shotgun in a combat situation. The tolling stress on the mind and the fatiguing of the body are inevitable for an offcer who is thrown into a prolonged gunfght or an extended standoff with a barricaded gunman. A rife or shotgun is preferred over a handgun in What I really liked about the semi-automatic Benelli M4 was that there was no manual cycling of the rounds. The Benelli M4 fred as rapidly as I could pull the trigger. Another feature that I enjoyed was the ATI-designed Raven Shotgun Stock with the Scorpion Recoil System. I was able to stay on target as I continuously fred the Benelli because of the reduced muzzle lift. The kickback was minimal and my shoulder wasn't bruised and didn't ache—as it had with other shotguns—after I shot nearly 50 rounds through the Benelli M4. The M4 semi-automatic shotgun is manufactured by Benelli, one of the Beretta Holding Group companies. This 12-gauge combat shotgun was originally developed for the United States Army back in 1998, but was quickly adopted by the US Marine Corps in 1999 as their shotgun of choice. The Benelli M4 is now available to law enforcement. Benelli produced the frst-ever gasoperated shotgun. Benelli engineers incorporated a new method called the "auto-regulating gas-operated" (ARGO) system that uses two stainless-steel pistons located in front of the chamber. The pistons are self-cleaning and interact with the rotating bolt, resulting in a clean and reliable system that has been proven to be consistent time after time. Tactical or Entry The M4 has a Picatinny rail allowing the owner to attach scopes, sights or lasers. It is also drilled and tapped for scope mounts. It comes with military-styled ghost ring sights that can be adjusted for wind and elevation. The basic M4 model weighs 3.82 kilograms and is 35 inches long overall. Police offcers can get a Benelli M4 with an 18.5-inch Tactical Barrel or a 14-inch Entry Barrel. It shoots slugs and buckshot as well as non-lethal rounds. Depending on the ammunition, the effective range is out to 55 yards. One of the best-designed features of the Benelli M4 is the weapon's modular assembly basis that allows its opera-